Distributed transactions are increasing used to coordinate the actions of multiple computer systems. For example, processing an employee's paycheck may involve a distributed transaction with work items performed on resources at a number of individual computer systems. An employer payroll system may request a transfer from its own account to the account of the employee. A system at the employer's bank may debit the employer's account by the amount of the transfer. A system at the employee's bank may credit the employee's account by the amount of the transfer. In another example, booking travel may involve a distributed transaction. A travel agent system node may request reservations on various flights, hotels, etc. In response to the requests, one or more airline systems may book flight tickets for a traveler. One or more hotel system may create reservations for the traveler, etc.